Acclimation Box Method for Anemone Hosting
- Thread starter kingfisherflesh
- Start date
aday2remmbr
New member
i say if you believe this method works, we are not stopping you from doing it. but to suggest it to someone who wants to get their clown to host is unreasonable as there is too much at stake. when i was younger and in the early stages of this hobby i attempted this exact thing. the aftermath was a dead clown a dead nem and a crashed tank. dont want to go down that road again and i dont wish that to any other hobbyist. i believe the best way to get a clown to host is to wait, patience is key in this hobby and you will get nowhere without it. also the picture of the clown hosting a nem on the side of the tank works quite well and is far less dangerous for the clown and nem.
velvetelvis
Active member
Preach!
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
You're kidding me, right? Do you know how many perfectly healthy fish I have lost to anemones over the years? This statement is absolutely, completely untrue.
Do you have ANY scientific basis for making this statement? A reputable book written by a scientist? A scientific paper? Anything? Or are you just making this up based on an extremely limited personal experience?
People who make statements like this really frustrate me. It's like saying cats generally only eat unhealthy mice, or lizards only eat unhealthy crickets. What? :crazy1::crazy1::crazy1::crazy1:
aday2remmbr
New member
a carpet anemone can capture a healthy fish in the wild, just imagine how easily it could capture one in the small confines of an acclimation box. clowns need time to acclimate to a nem, that is why before truly hosting they will take quick dives into the nem to get themselves ready. you cant possibly rush this process the end result will be an eaten clownfish.
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
Why do people feel the need to force clownfish into anemones? In most cases hosting issues come from (1) captive raised clowns have never been acclimated to anemones before and/or (2) people are trying to pair clowns with hosts that they are normally not found in in nature.
Clowns locate anemones on the reef by smell. Given time, most clowns eventually locate and host in anemones in reef tanks. Why the rush?
Clowns locate anemones on the reef by smell. Given time, most clowns eventually locate and host in anemones in reef tanks. Why the rush?
velvetelvis
Active member
Because a lot of people seem to be under the impression that they've acquired animated entertainment systems, instead of living creatures with their own needs and instincts and quirks?
aday2remmbr
New member
i agree, blame it all on nemo.
cet98
"feed ur reef...feed it!"
:thumbsup:
reppo13
New member
I think there has been enough debating guys, its ridiculous that this thread has become a death trap for the OP and others reading on. I think we all remember the attitude thread a while back, if you don't... search it. Many things that were on that thread have been displayed here. I'm sure we can all repeat over and over again why this is wrong or this is right but ultimately its up to you to do what you wish in your own tank. I think the OP was just trying to give an idea to the community, he didn't ask to be bombarded with negitivity. Constructive criticism was all that was needed.
deangelr
Clown Whisperererer
I though the myth of CB clowns having different behavior when interacting with host was debunked.. IMO the instinct to find host, or behavior during initial interaction is completely independent of being CB or WC.
2, on the other hand is a common case. I am yet to see a person on this forum struggle to force symbiosis between two naturally occurring symbionts. It is almost always a Occy/E. Quad combo that doesn't work out.. I have personally attempted Percula/E. quad with not hosting.. This combo was together almost a year with no symbiosis. I have also attempted percula/haddoni, this combo was only together for 4 months or so but after that I was too afraid that the percula would get eaten so I took it out. I actually saw the perculas attempting to enter the anemone but the anemone would grab them leave scars.... They were never able to build the slime coat to hide their presence, and so never accepted the host.
velvetelvis
Active member
That's been my experience. I've kept 4 different species of clownfish at various times, all CB, and of those, 3 species took to hosts: maroon/BTA, clarkii/Sarcophyton coral (according to Scott W. Michael, Clark's sometimes use soft corals as hosts in the wild, so maybe that was a factor), and ocellaris/BTA. Of these, the Clark's were the quickest to take to a host (about 3 days); while the ocellaris took about 7-10 days. I bought the maroon clown and her BTA as a "set", so there was no adjustment period in that case.
phender
Active member
BTAs are not much of a risk to eat your clown, however using the box method still doesn't always work.
Sebaes (H. crispa) are a different matter. I had to save a tomato clown that was immobilized by a H. crispa (not using box method) and had to be saved.
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
Let me restate what I said...
In the wild, clownfish locate anemones at a very very young stage in their lives. Any that do not die. Clowns are almost NEVER found away from anemones in the wild. (There are exceptions but they are very very rare.) Certainly clownfish that are collected for the ornamental fish trade come from anemones.
Because of this, wild caught clowns (depending on age) typically have been hosted in anemones for a year or more. They are very used to being in an anemone and are uncomfortable when they are not. As such, when introduced to a reef tank, they will actively seek out an anemone host - particularly if they can smell one in the water.
Captive raised clowns that have been raised away from anemones do not have this anemone behavior history. For all we know, some may not have as strong hosting attraction (since in the wild these clowns would have been eaten, but in captivity they are not). Regardless, they often develop behaviors that replace hosting behavior - like sleeping at the surface in a corner of the tank, or hiding by a heater or other inanimate object not found in the wild. So for many captive raised clowns, the first time they ever experience an anemone is when they meet one in someone's reef tank. Now the hosting instinct is still there, but it may be weaker or it may be mixed up with other unnatural "learned" behaviors. So generally speaking, captive raised clowns typically take longer or have more problems starting to host in anemones. Some never do - or prefer an alternative host like a leather coral or flower pot coral. Alternatively, some have no problem at all and plop right into an anemone the moment they find one in a reef tank.
However in general (over the entire population) captive raised fish have more problems or take longer hosting than wild caught fish.
BonsaiNut
Premium Member
I disagree with this attitude completely when the lives of animals are at stake.
Do you feed your dogs chicken bones? Why not? Because they splinter and kill dogs. Now you might WANT to feed your dog chicken bones. You could even be forgiven if you feed your dogs chicken bones through ignorance. But if you have dozens of people (including vets) telling you not to feed your dog chicken bones and you STILL do it, what is that called? Worse, do you come to Internet forums and say "I stand by my earlier comments that chicken bones don't kill dogs" even though it is a known fact that they do, every year?
See the other recent thread about people watching a YouTube video about someone cutting a S. haddoni anemone into four pieces. I've watched that video and all I see is someone killing an anemone. However other people watch it and think "hey look - four anemones out of one!" and think they can slice up THEIR anemones. It should be the responsibility of everyone here to correct people if they are about to do something that will put the lives of their animals at risk.
velvetelvis
Active member
Well said.
I couldn't agree more. Too often we ignore the fact that there is a moral component to this hobby. When you keep an animal in captivity, you have placed yourself in a position of absolute power over another living creature. You have a moral duty to provide the best possible care for that animal--including finding it another home if necessary. The fact that we have absolute power over our pets' lives is, or should be, humbling. It obligates us to provide conscientious care, instead of being seen as a license to experiment with them, particularly in ways that are almost guaranteed to inflict suffering--or even death.
velvetelvis
Active member
I'll amend my post above by adding that I don't think most people who advocate dubious practices actually mean to harm the animals. But there's a degree of thoughtlessness involved, as well as an element of callousness towards the suffering of the animals if all doesn't go as planned. That--and the fact that some others will jump in to defend such an attitude--is what really bothers me.
And now I'll finally climb off my soapbox.
And now I'll finally climb off my soapbox.
